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P.A.W.S. - what are they, cure, duration

Discussion in 'Rebooting - Porn Addiction Recovery' started by Fenix Rising, May 12, 2019.

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  1. mentorr

    mentorr Fapstronaut

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    We love you too @Monkeyboyab2c , we love you too :D
     
    Monkeyboyab2c likes this.
  2. winningover

    winningover Fapstronaut

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    Dear Brothers,

    I am now clean for 2 years & 8 months and I can finally say that I am PAWS free. In this time, I had all type of PAWS symptoms that were mentioned and many that were not even mentioned here. Head to Toe, you name it, I suffered it all and I am now very much symptom free after a very very very long time. I am also on hard mode streak for like 20 months. The biggest mistake that I did was not cleansing my mind from porn. I never stopped fantasizing it in my mind. In my sleep, in my dreams, I always cheated here or there. I always thought that its natural and despite warnings from many old guys here, I just didn't think of it as big a deal. I definitely believe that I could have shortened my suffering considerably if I worked on cleaning my mind and soul from day 1 instead of just stopping porn and counting days.

    Now, everyone has its own path of cleaning the soul and ultimately I hope everyone will reach there one way or the other esp long termers. But I don't want everyone to suffer for 3 years before healing. And I am sure the suffering can continue even longer if your mind and soul is not cleansed from the poison. Even after healing, you could get weird flare ups just from imagining erotic scenes in your mind while sleeping, at night or day dreaming. Its a drug and we are drug addicts. And sadly the screen is not the ONLY way to take our shot. Just imagine and you're hooked. I would perhaps even go on to say that its a fucking relapse.

    I am not a perfect human being now neither I have super powers. But I have recovered. I am happy, content and at ease. My sleep is amazing. My stamina is great. My breathing is good. My heart beats normally. My food gets digested properly. I don't think there is any body part of mine that didn't give my issues during PAWS. PAWS are so complex. Every part of yours is managed and controlled by your mind, and when your mind goes into imbalance, get ready for anything. Just 6 months ago, I had my worst PAWS ever for 2 weeks and I don't even want to write what I went through. Just to summarize, it almost felt that I have met my end. And it happened after I started visualizing erotica before going to sleep and after waking up. But thankfully, thankfully, all my 2 years effort wasn't wasted. My mind started giving dividends immediately after I went into complete monk mode. I was on hard mode already for quite a while.

    I don't know what future holds for me. I have a lot of working to do on myself because I powered myself through everything while I was high on porn. I may not be active here anymore because I have shared everything throughout my journey that can be accessed through my account. I may though answer any questions that any of you may have. It feels great to finally put an end to my PAWS life and even if I vanish, my account will remain here.
     
  3. Bright Man-02

    Bright Man-02 Fapstronaut

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    Thanks brother for the update,
    I would ask if your brain fog and anxiety also went away?



    Congratulations for reaching the light brother, well done.
     
  4. Fleefromsin

    Fleefromsin Fapstronaut

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    I’m in a very down period as well. Insomnia is killing me. I’ve started taking some supplements for sleep and also omega 3 krill oil and turmeric in the morning to help with brain health. I haven’t been completely clean but maybe pmo’d 15 times in 2021 on top of sex with my wife. I still get paws that last weeks. Starts with my sleep. When I don’t sleep my depression and anxiety creep back in too. It passes with time.
     
  5. humbleone

    humbleone Fapstronaut

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    Amazing, very happy for you brother.

    If you ever embark on a sex life, please do come back and report how it goes. Can PAWS victims ever return to a sex life without symptoms returning

    Right now, every orgasm I have kills me, I get terrible headache and bad PAWS symptoms
     
    Dave G 123 likes this.
  6. Fleefromsin

    Fleefromsin Fapstronaut

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    how long have you been without PMO?
     
  7. Dave G 123

    Dave G 123 Fapstronaut

    Yeah, this thread matters to me too - it really does! Hang in there dude.
     
  8. Dave G 123

    Dave G 123 Fapstronaut

    Thankyou so much for this post - it is inspirational, and gives me hope. I'm really hoping to see improvements in sleep and digestion, as well as my main problems of stamina and brain-fog, so I'm glad you mentioned those specifically. Poor sleep and digestion really ruin quality of life.

    I also get what you mean about just thinking certain thoughts being a problem. That was something I finally had to come to terms with last summer when I had a period of not quite looking at anything, but spending a little time regularly indulging in thinking arousing thoughts, and that can be enough to cause problems even without actually looking at any P.

    Anyway, thanks again, and I hope things continue to be good for you.
     
  9. humbleone

    humbleone Fapstronaut

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    Currently 2 days, but had streaks of 9months and 11 months, 4 months, and 6x 1 month give or take

    I just couldn't break free of PAWS, I could get to a place where no PMO was easy and the norm, but I was losing my mind with PAWS symptoms and finally I broke and started dating etc and fell back in, and I think if you don't go all the way and get out forever, it will pull you back into the epicentre
     
  10. Fleefromsin

    Fleefromsin Fapstronaut

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    do you notice your symptoms of paws after orgasm getting better or are they still just as bad as they have always been? I was hoping the longer we go without O the less the symptoms would be. Do you think it is possible to completely get rid of the negative symptoms after orgasm?

    also how often would you experience the paws on your longer streaks?
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2022
  11. humbleone

    humbleone Fapstronaut

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    My symptoms have kind of transposed. If you read all of my earlier posts I report alot of 'brain pressure' or 'weird sensations of the brain', well this is actually inflammation of my frontal sinus ... (PAWS caused chronic system stress)

    Now if I orgasm, the anxiety or depression etc is stable, but I get the worst pressure in my frontal sinuses, and I can barely sleep 2-3 hrs, I am completely fucked for days after any orgasm, takes about 24 hrs to feel somewhat alive, and a week to recover, and a month to realise what I just did, and 3 months to realise wow I got caught again how could I be so stupid
     
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  12. DerJogge

    DerJogge Fapstronaut

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    Great to hear man! I'm so happy for everyone coming out of PAWS. Did your recovery come gradual or was it sudden?
     
  13. Ezpz

    Ezpz Fapstronaut

    Same reason i relapsed after 16 months pmo free. Couldnt take the paws symptoms anymore even though they were improving very slowly month by month.

    In my lowest moments i have always found comfort in these threads. At least we know we are not completely alone
     
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  14. StrangerWatch

    StrangerWatch New Fapstronaut

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    Brother, sorry to hear about those people you know, but "long covid" is by no means common. While some (IMO more reasonable) health authorities are indeed trying to quell fear around the phenomenon, a lot of the more totalitarian covid regimes are actively promoting the idea of widespread "long covid" outside of risk groups. State media are also not shy about generating fear around it.

    These entities are under the thumb of big pharma, as is fairly obvious by how they generate fear around COVID-19 death numbers that are painted with broad strokes, yet in the same breath deny the significance of absurdly high number of reported vaccine events.

    Why would you ever trust the kind of sources that brand a deceased vaccinated person as "an anti-vaxxer who died of covid"?

    I have spoken to several prominent scientists about this, from which I have learned a few things:
    - In most studies on "long covid", there is no non-covid control group to compare symptoms with.
    - In the ones with control groups, the risk of "long covid" is extremely age-stratified (meaning the older you get the more at risk you are, as with most illnesses).
    - Studies done on children found that "long covid" symptoms technically were more prevalent in the control group, meaning they had no statistical significance.

    "Long covid" is also very loosely defined to begin with, and it encompasses any number of symptoms that were already common and on the rise before the pandemic even hit. The declining health of the population, in large part due to harmful corona measures, certainly didn't help matters.

    Real "long covid" would probably involve long-term lung and cardiovascular problems first and foremost. If you don't have those problems, you're young (i.e. not in the risk group for COVID-19), you got your symptoms after quitting PMO, they are in line with withdrawal symptoms in general, and (from how I'm reading your comment) you may not even have tested positive for the virus, then the chances that you are experiencing "long covid" defies probability.

    NoFap won't let me post any sources, but if you're interested I can provide them for you brother.
     
  15. fisherman9009

    fisherman9009 Fapstronaut

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    Im around 90 days in roughly. I have my own thread posted but I figured I would post in here what I've experienced so far too. Ill list mostly the bad symptoms but overall im much happier now than when I ever used pmo.
    The first 30 days were mostly urges, extreme anger and rage, very impulsive decisions, very bad social anxiety, otherwise normal sex drive and sex life with my gf. A lot of trouble sleeping.
    The 30 to 60 day mark in that time I got covid and was sick so I can't say for sure but it was mostly low energy, not much urges, a lot of depression and low energy and not wanting to leave the bed. Somewhat normal sex life but slowly decreasing in libido. Sleep improving.
    The 60 to 90 day mark I got hit with EXTREME anxiety. Really bad panic attacks, shaking, extreme stomach cramps which led to basically having no appetite and not really caring to eat. This also is giving me a weird case of acid reflux. A mild dizziness. Sleeping really good in fact sleeping 10 to 12 hours a day if you include naps but getting really bad dreams and vivid dreams that feel real. A lot of crazy emotions and will sometimes start to cry when thinking of bad memories. Which is weird because I haven't cried once in the past 5 years. Im roughly on day 90 now so this is my most recent experiences

    I did nofap many years ago for over 3 years and I remember my path being exactly the same. Strong urges > flatline> extreme anxiety > trouble eating and sleeping > normal
    That was my path all those years ago so I think that's what im going through again
     
    Dave G 123 likes this.
  16. Alright so I relapsed 7 days ago, since then have had anxiety/worrying (especially while driving).Started watching pron when I was around 8 or 9, so 10-11 years of pmo. Found out about nofap 2020 while graduating high school. on/off streaks. Did wonders. But never had anxiety like this before only until recently. Now, today compared to days ago I'm better but still feel a little lingering. Also, was freaking out in the car and decided to tell my parents.They were nice and supportive. My dad was a true G saying "ignore what triggers you" and "porn is so damn accessible these days". They even set passcodes for me on blockers. Tips/advice for rest of rebooting? This website really does help. Was originally on nofap discord but left due to triggers from other servers. Advice would be much appreciated!
     
  17. Monkeyboyab2c

    Monkeyboyab2c Fapstronaut

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    First off I applaud you for noticing this is a problem at such a young age. My advice, and this is going to sound incredibly obvious and a little stupid, is no matter what you try to tell yourself, never ever watch porn again. I’m 39 I tried to get help for this thing when I was 19. I had no idea about all the neuroscience around Porn addiction. I just didn’t like the way it made me feel morally. I also didn’t like the feeling of being controlled by something. I had no success. So then I convinced myself that this is just the way I am. I went on in this addiction telling myself that for another 18 years. I am definitely paying for it now. The last thing you want to do is drag this thing into any future relationship or marriage you may have. Theolder guys in the support group I was in at 19 told me this, but I didn’t listen. They were 100% right. I would give almost anything to have taken their advice.
    From a purely practical standpoint a really good accountability software like Covenant Eyes linked to someone you definitely don’t want to see what you’ve been watching if what you’ve been watching is Porn has been a huge benefit for me. I hope that wasn’t too preachy.
     
  18. Thank you very much! Really inspirational. How did you deal with anxiety/dizziness/ any of the other withdrawal symptoms?
     
  19. fisherman9009

    fisherman9009 Fapstronaut

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    Very bad leg tingling last night and today. Legs just feel tired and itchy and tingling, pins and needles sort of feeling. Freaked out and went to the ER they checked me and my blood and told me
    I’m perfectly healthy. That it’s psychological. So I’m saying it’s a porn withdrawal and anxiety symptom. Day 90ish
     
  20. Monkeyboyab2c

    Monkeyboyab2c Fapstronaut

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    You’re welcome. Unfortunately I haven’t really found anything to make the symptoms go away. I have several things I use to make them a little better but mostly the knowledge that they are temporary is what gets me through them. For dizziness I mostly put my glasses on. I am usually ok without my glasses but when the dizziness flares up putting them on seems to help. As for anxiety the best thing I’ve found is walking. I’ve found that walking helps quite a bit with a lot of these symptoms. I am a very religious person so prayer helps with the anxiety and depression as well. One thing that has also worked is meditation. I have this thing called the Muse headband which is a headband that you wear during meditation that measures your brain waves and helps you calm your mind down. Sounds weird but it actually really works. That thing helps with anxiety a lot. Reading other PAWS sufferers success stories also helps me focus on the fact that what I am experiencing is in fact PAWS and not some permanent problem. Mostly the thing that works best is time. I know it sucks and as porn addicts we are pretty used to immediate gratification. Unfortunately that’s not the game we are playing anymore. Hopefully some of that is useful for you. I’m sorry I don’t have a magic pill or something more profound. I do know that I’m 2 years into this thing and if I can do it so can you.
     

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